This Blog monitors all terror activities of Indian Naxals ie., PWG (Peoples War Group) and Government policies to tackle naxal menace . PWG's current goal is to destablize India and Sub-Continent by a well coordinated strategy with the help of international revolutionaries and covert support from Pakistan and China .

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Ranchi: Maoist rebels have blown up the ancestral house of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Suresh Yadav in Jharkhand's Latehar district and assaulted his family members, police said on Saturday.

Around 100 rebels belonging to the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) surrounded Yadav's house in Hotwag village in Latehar, around 170 km from Ranchi, and blew it up late on Friday night, a police official said.

The rebels used detonators and beat up the family members, the official said. A car parked outside the house was also set on fire. The RJD leader was not at home at the time of the attack, but four of his family members were assaulted. The injured have been admitted to hospital, police said.

Maoist rebels are active in 18 of Jharkhand's 24 districts. In the last seven years, more than 1,300 people, including civilians and Maoist rebels, have been killed in the continuing violence.

Latehar (Jharkhand), Oct 18 (PTI) Suspected Maoists have set afire the house of a local RJD leader and beaten up at least 12 locals in Latehar district, police said here today.

RJD leader, Suresh Yadav, and his family members were not present in the house when about 20 Maoists raided its premises last night.

They set the house and a stationary four-wheeler on fire after throwing inflammable substance, police said.

The Maoists later beat up 12 villagers, including Mukesh Kumar, the local representative of RJD's Chatra MP Dhirendra Agarwal, they said, adding raids have been launched to nab the assailants.

In a separate incident, a Maoist ultra was killed during a gun-fight between the CPI(Maoist) and its breakaway group Tritya Prastuti Committee (TPC) near Baruda village in the district last night, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Kumar Abhishek said.

Separately, suspected Maoists killed a man at Tetaria village in Giridih district last night. The body of Daso Sao was found this morning, Deputy Superintendent of police Rajendra Singh said. PTI

Chatra (Jharkhand), Oct 18 (PTI) A Maoist was killed in a gunfight between the CPI(Maoist) and its breakaway group, Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), in Jharkhand's Chatra district, police said today.The rival factions have been engaged in a bitter turf war and the latest incident happened last night near Baruda village, they said, adding police launched raids in and around the area. PTI

Bangalore (PTI): Police, on Saturday launched combing operations in the forests of Chikmagalur and Dakshina Kannada districts to unearth terror and Naxal hideouts, two days after the arrest of two suspected terrorists.

Police said teams have been deployed in Bukkalabayalu, Sringeri, Udupi and nearby forest areas to look for training spots used by terror groups and gather information about their activities.

The combing operations were launched after Rafique and Fakeer Ahmed alias Fakir Bawa, who were arrested on Thursday, told police that they and their other associates practised firing in forests, the sources said.

Acting on the information provided by the two, police raided two houses in Chikmagalur district and seized explosive materials, weapons, engineering and electrical kits besides tents. They had said that their Chikmagalur hideout was used to manufacture bombs and also served as a laboratory.

Their arrests came in the wake of four terrorists being arrested here in a joint operation by Mumbai and Karnataka police on October three.

Police said investigations revealed that the terror network had spread to the Malnad area and they are maintaining tight vigil. They had been hitherto countering Naxals in the region, the sources said.

Police said a close vigil was also being maintained at Hakkalamane and Vitlamakki, where the two stayed, to gather more inputs about the terror network.

The anti-Naxal force is also assisting the police in the combing operations

Friday, October 17, 2008

SHEENA K. Raipur, Oct. 16: Chhattisgarh police have cracked down on senior officers refusing to take up assignments in Naxalite-hit areas of the state.

In two separate orders issued by the state police headquarters, 18 police officers were placed under suspension after they failed to join their new postings in rebel pockets, a police spokesperson said today.

The officers include four deputy superintendents of police, six inspectors and eight sub-inspectors. The four deputy superintendents include S.L. Maravi, D.S. Negi, R.D. Mourya and Rajesh Kukreja. The officers were transferred to Bastar, the worst rebel-hit among all district areas, a month ago. But, they did not report for duty, citing several excuses, police sources said.

The state government on October 10 revised the transfer order of Rajesh Kukreja and posted him in Bhilai.

But, even Kukreja could not escape from the stringent action taken by the police headquarters.

This is the first time when the Chhattisgarh police headquarters has suspended four officers of the rank of deputy superintendent in one go for administrative lapses.

A senior police officer said such strict action could continue for others.

“Many police officers give health excuses to evade posting in red areas,” he said, adding that they were verifying all cases before taking adequate action.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

October 16th, 2008 - 7:47 pm ICT by IANS - Ranchi, Oct 16 (IANS) Rs.200,000 was looted from a branch of Bank of India in Jharkhand Thursday, the police said. According to the police, three men barged into the bank situated in Galudih block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district Thursday morning, some 210 km from Ranchi.

The men locked the bank staff in a room at gun point and looted Rs.200,000 from the chest, the police said.

In May this year Rs.50 million and one kg OF gold was looted by Maoist rebels from the delivery van of ICICI Bank.

More than 50 bank robberies have taken place place in last seven years in the state

SHAHNAWAZ AKHTAR Giridih, Oct. 15: A day after four hardcore Naxalites were flushed out of the Parasnath hills, the Giridih police and CRPF personnel today seized huge quantities of explosives from the region, considered a haven for red rebels.

Three security teams had fanned out to comb the Parasnath hills on Sunday. The first nabbed the rebels and confiscated a cache of arms and ammunition.

The third team today recovered 50 bundles of Codex wire, 5,450 detonators and 750 quintals gelatine on the basis of information from two of the rebels arrested yesterday. They have been identified as Manir Ansari and Badruddin Ansari. The joint team was led by CRPF’s 22 Battalion assistant commandant Rajesh Kumar Singh and Pirtand officer-in-charge H.E. Siddiqui.

“Codex wire has been recovered for the first time in Jharkhand. It is a lethal explosive because it cannot be spotted by a metal detector and can cause a blast even inside water,” said Pirtand officer-in-charge H.E. Siddiqui.

“Only a knot in the wire can make it work like a bomb, only a single knot could cause a blast up to of 720 metres and could blow up a vehicle 20-feet high. So far, these explosive have been used only by forces in wars,” he added.

Taking about the Naxalites, superintendent of police Murari Lal Meena said: “They (Naxalites) say that they are leading a movement, but it is evident from these explosives that they want to spread terror in the region by killing police personnel, destroy government property such as school buildings and bridges.

“We have reliable information that a leader of an apolitical party is helping extremists and soon we will act against him,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, of the four arrested yesterday, the identity of only two Maoists have been revealed. That of the others is being verified.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Success saga Giridih, Oct. 14: Four hardcore Naxalites were arrested today from the Parasnath hill region. A cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the spot.

A team of Giridih police, led by deputy superintendent Anurajan Kishpotta and Pirtand police station officer-in-charge H.E. Siddiqui, had been combing the Parasnath hill for the past three days.

Giridih superintendent of police Murari Lal Meena, however, refused to divulge further details of the operation stating that the team was still in the forest area and thereby vulnerable to attacks.

“For now, we can only say that four hardcore rebels were held and a large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered. We can furnish further details by tomorrow. Our team is still in a vulnerable position, as they are in the forests and will return with those held tomorrow,” Meena said.

The police are labelling the arrests as a “severe blow” to rebel operations in and around the area. Parasnath hill is considered “safe zone” for Naxalites and secret meetings are reported frequently from the area.

A rural resident told The Telegraph confirmed that the rebels of late have been “desperately” seeking new recruits. “The outfit’s current condition is that they have more rifles than men. They (rebels) frequently come to our villages seeking new members. Many are seen talking to young men and women,” said a resident of Pirtand preferring to remain anonymous.

Of late, the police were also successful in arresting members of sister organisations of the CPI(Moaist) such as Jharkhand Avon Team, a cultural organisation that is pro-Naxalite. On September 27, two members of the organisation, Iska Hembarum and Niranjan Murmu, were arrested. The police are also keeping a close vigil on rebel sympathisers.

In September, police also recovered at least four landmines from the Pirtand region.

Though the police have taken a beating from the rebels on numerous occasions, the force believes that the wheels may be turning finally. “These days, we are regularly conducting long-range patrolling. Through it, we not only keep policemen on toes, but also keep the Maoists at bay,” said a senior officer.

Today’s arrests, administration sources believe, would boost flagging morale of the administration that is chalking out plans to conduct a tourism festival, Shikhar Jee Mahotsav, in the Parasnath region soon.

NEW DELHI: The Centre has set up a special project clearing committee — comprising officers of the home, finance and surface transport ministries — t o implement the Rs 500 crore special scheme that aims to create infrastructure for security forces in the Naxal-affected states.

Besides clearing new projects for these states, the committee will also monitor the progress of implementation so that the states do not divert the funds earmarked for Naxal-affected districts.

The new scheme, which was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs last month, will provide for crucial infrastructure requirement that are critical to policing and security needs in the field but are not adequately included in any existing scheme.

Oct. 14: The Centre is expected to release Rs 100 crores in the next few days under the newly envisaged special scheme aiming to enhance critical infrastructure for security forces in eight worst Naxal-affected districts in five states. With states like Orissa and Punjab demanding Central assistance, to shore up the security apparatus currently lying uncovered in the existing Central schemes, at the National Integration Council meet held on Monday, the home ministry on Tuesday said that the first phase of the Rs 500 crores special scheme will see the light of the day in the current fiscal while Rs 400 crores would be spent in the remaining period of the 11th Plan.

The Project Clearance Committee for the scheme under the chairmanship of special secretary (Naxal management) in MHA Vinay Kumar met here on Tuesday to discuss the plans for the current year for the first eight districts. The eight districts are Aurangabad, Gaya (Jharkhand), Malkangiri, Raigad (Orissa), Bijapur, Dantewada(Chhattisgarh), Khammam (Andhra Pradesh) and Balaghat (MP).

Monday, October 13, 2008

Deborah Osborne, of Analyst's Corner, hosted a podcast recently featuring Bob Heibel, Executive Director of the Mercyhurst College Institute for Intelligence Studies (Thanks, Rex!). Bob talked about our program, of course, but also shared his insights into the the present and future of intelligence studies in academe.

Bob started the program here at Mercyhurst some 16 years ago after a long career in the FBI as a Special Agent and, finally, as the Deputy Chief of Counter-terrorism. There are few people who have the depth of operational, intelligence and academic knowledge that he does. It makes him worth listening to on a number of different levels.

The question is now haunting the police administration and intelligence agencies working in both the States. The killing of two top Maoists near Narayanpatna two days back in an encounter is a pointer towards the question. Considering backwardness of the region and inaction of the administration, the Maoists have started their operation first in Malkangiri in 1980s. Since then, Malkangiri has been the base area of Maoists of Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Over the years, they have expanded their base to whole of southern Orissa. In recent years, there have been frequent Maoist attacks in Naranyanpatna putting the police on their toes. Despite presence of CRPF and armed forces in Narayanpatna, Maoist-related incidents continue to occur in the area.

Having over 1,000 km radius of dense forests that border the two States, this area has lately turned into a haven for the ultras. Sources said that due to frequent police raids in Malkangiri, the ultras have shifted their base to Narayanpatna and their meetings are mostly conducted in this area. As many as 10 encounters have been recorded by police in this area during the last few weeks wherein three Maoists have been killed. The inaccessible hilly terrain makes it their favourable hideout.

Police said that senior officials of both Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have been sharing intelligence inputs over Maoist activities in Naryanpatna.

11:57 IST The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh chaired the 14th National Integration Council Meeting in New Delhi today. Following is the text of the Prime Minister’s Opening remarks on the occasion:

“We are meeting at a time when our nation is facing many and simultaneous challenges. Responding to challenges, at best of times, is a very complex exercise. It gets even more complicated when the security calculus is a matrix of many imponderable factors.

Throughout India’s modern history, our country has seen many challenges, challenges that would have fragmented nations of lesser intrinsic strength or lesser will. I have, therefore, no fear of our ability to withstand the current challenges. I do believe, however, that it is important at times like this to look within ourselves, and draw upon our national genius to overcome problems that appear at times to overwhelm us.

There are a number of issues that need strong reaffirmation in to-day’s context. One, we must be conscious that in seeking short-term remedies the fundamental underpinnings of our inclusive society are not undermined. Another, is to maintain a strong sense of nationhood. In the recent past we are witnessing signs of increasing fissiparous tendencies specially in areas like the North East, in Jammu & Kashmir, in Orissa and Karnataka, in Assam and some other parts of our country. Third, sometimes the situation is aggravated by external interests that wish to de-rail the essential unity of India. Further, as witnessed recently in Orissa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Assam we see ethnicity and religion being used as arguments to stir divisions.

We have defence mechanisms to prevent such divisive trends from spreading as also the necessary instruments to overcome them. We need, nevertheless, to be subtle in the manner in which these are employed. It is a tribute to our political process that over the 60 years and more since Independence, we have successfully met the challenges without in any way undermining our social fabric and tradition.

We can take pride in our inheritance of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-caste society. We must not, however, ignore the fact that there is need for utmost vigilance and caution to sustain such an inheritance. The chief characteristic of our civilization has been unity in diversity. We have never attempted to impose uniformity or dilute diversity. We have believed in a composite culture where, while individual identities are retained, traits are shared. The continuity and strength of our civilizational process depends on this implicit recognition of our ancient value system.

Central to this, is a recognition of the futility of violence and of the need for reconciliation, specially of all those caught up in the vortex of to-day’s conflicts. I am stressing this point since violence seems to be permeating society to-day, across the length and breadth of our country – whether it be terrorist violence, whether it is violence with an ideological veneer such as that adopted by the Left Wing Extremists or Communal violence. We need to meet to-day’s mindless violence with the requisite amount of force, but must also ensure that this is tempered by reason and justice which is the normal order of governance.

Terrorism and terrorist acts undoubtedly present us with a serious dilemma. Terrorism is the major scourge the world faces to-day. Several individuals are being inveigled into participating in terrorist acts by projecting a sense of real or perceived grievance. The use of violent methods by those embracing terrorism is abhorrent to any society. There can be no compromise with terrorism and terrorists have to be dealt with firmly. At the same time it is important that in trying to counter terrorism among wrong methods and means are not adopted. Any impression that any community, or sections amongst them, are being targeted, or that some kind of profiling is being attempted should be avoided. The means are as important as the ends. This is vital, as otherwise it could lead to a major polarization of society.

In dealing with Left Wing Extremist violence, one must recognize that many of those who are being encouraged to take to violence have suffered from years, and sometimes generations, of violence at the hands of exploiters and unscrupulous elements. Many of those involved are amongst the ‘poorest of the poor’ and are merely demanding a place in the sun they have been denied so far. Yet we cannot ignore the reality that today’s naxalites are armed with sophisticated weapons, and adept at guerilla warfare techniques and have caused the death of many innocent people and members of the security forces. A proper distinction has, hence, to be made so that while there is no attempt made to minimize the threat posed by them and to deal effectively with the problem, the poor tribals and others should not be made to suffer needlessly at the hands of the authorities as well.

Perhaps, the most disturbing and dangerous aspect to-day is the assault on our composite culture. Ethnic and religious communities have lived together peacefully during the past millennium. We take pride in the fact that people of all castes, communities, religions and languages live together peacefully, and our culture imbibes the best from each one of them. Yet to-day, we see fault-lines developing between, and among, communities. Recent tragic events in Orissa, Karnataka, and Assam have pained all right thinking persons. There are clashes between Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Tribal groups. An atmosphere of hatred and violence is being artificially generated. There are forces deliberately encouraging such tendencies and also spawning militant outfits who engage in irrational violence. These need to be firmly dealt with. There is, at the same time, real need for better understanding of the forces at work. There is need for better intelligence about such elements; our investigation methods need to be further refined. The process of governance needs to be strengthened and the rule of law maintained, but in a manner that brings hope and succour to the poor and the needy.

There has been considerable debate in our country on how to handle these issues of sectarian and communal violence. There cannot be two views on the fact that such attempts must be thwarted with the full power of a state that is intent on protecting its democratic foundations. Those who threaten our communal harmony, integrity and peaceful coexistence deserve very deterrent punishment. In doing so, we need to be bound by the framework of our Constitution and the political democratic process that enables us to reconcile differences through dialogue. We should not be provoked to suspend or subvert a democratic process in the search for solutions. A democracy has a special onus in that it has to ensure protection of civil liberties even as it seeks to enforce law and order. It has also to be done in a manner that respects the Constitutional bounds of a federal polity. This creates the complexity that we need to collectively address and resolve and I urge you honorable members to put forward your suggestions on how this may be done.

It is not by accident that these incidents are increasing in our society. As members of the National Integration Council, we need to collectively consider whether short-term narrow political ends are driving some of us to encourage forces of divisiveness that are today threatening the unity of our people. A country like ours which is defined by co-existence of different ethnic groups and religions and cemented by an acceptance of a pluralistic and tolerant framework cannot afford the promotion of such divisiveness for narrow partisan ends. There is no politics that has a right to assert over the rights of the common man or the integrity of our nation. The responsibility of the political leadership is to preserve and promote this pluralistic and democratic framework. I would like to appeal to all political parties to bear in mind this fundamental political responsibility that enjoins on each one of us to ensure that we not only preserve but promote this unique confluence of cultures that India has become for the many past centuries.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, when he convened the National Integration Conference in 1961, wanted to find ways to respond to the evils of communalism, casteism and other forms of regional, linguistic and sectarian divides. It was this Conference that set up the National Integration Council and adopted as its charter the need to maintain the pluralistic ethos of India. I feel it appropriate to quote the declarations of objectives adopted by the Council in 1968 “the foundations of our national life is common citizenship, unity in diversity, freedom of religions, secularism, equality, justice – social, economic and political, and fraternity among all communities. The National Integration Council reiterates its faith in these values and dedicates itself to their achievement”. It is these very goals dear members that we set for ourselves as a nation, and which the National Integration Council is committed to further, and these are the values which have come under stress.

This is a time therefore, that calls upon each one of us to collectively reassert our identity as a pluralistic, multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic country, whose Constitution respects and upholds the freedom of all religions. We must thwart all efforts to create divisiveness in our polity to further sectarian interests. If we do not do this, we would be failing in our duty towards the toiling masses of our country who struggle every day for economic betterment and a life of dignity. We would also be failing in our duty to build an India that provides our children the opportunities to realize their dreams.

As people engaged in public life, all of us are aware that there are multiple deprivations in our country that can be manipulated, perhaps cynically manipulated, to promote divisions in our society. Our task of nation building is still work-in-progress. Our energies ought to be singularly focused in ensuring that the commitment we made at the time of our independence “to remove poverty, disease, ignorance and the inequality of opportunity” is fully met for all our people. We are at a point in history where the world is looking at India as a country which is successfully transforming its economy in the context of a functioning working democracy. Our economic transformation is all the more exciting because it is happening through political dialogue engendered in a democracy, where contending views clash and reconcile. The process of economic development itself has a way of creating winners and losers and it is only a democratic framework that ensures equalizing opportunities and justice for all side. Our government has sought to create a framework of inclusive development that can structurally address the divides in our society. We have also sought to address the root causes of left extremism resulting from alienation of tribal communities through the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 and which has sought to ensure also a right to work through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The fast rate of economic development that we are witnessing would in itself become an antidote to several forces of sectarianism that we are witnessing today when inequality of economic opportunities become the fodder for divisive politics. At the same time, determined efforts have to be made to empower the marginalized sections to lead a life of dignity and self respect so that we become effective partners in processes of development.

The National Integration Council provides a forum where we should find the strength to rise above narrow partisanship and divisive politics. The Council needs to exert its immense moral authority on the nation collectively to ensure that the pluralistic and secular foundations of our country are nourished maintained and strengthen. We need to isolate and fight those who promote divisiveness. The common citizen in this country wants peace and harmony in society. The common citizen of this country is not bigoted but generous and compassionate and nurtured in a tradition of tolerance intrinsic to all faiths that nourish our composite cultures. Let us collectively endeavour to preserve these values which the people of our country cherish”.

Policemen in Andhra’s Naxalite zones prefer walking to a jeep ride, not to slim down but to stay alive.

Four-wheelers are being shunned in police stations in at least 100 rebel zones for fear these will be the target of landmine attacks. Only 700 of the state’s 1,559 police stations have four-wheelers. Few of the 207 vehicles provided recently have gone to those in rebel zones.

“Naxalites are targeting police personnel moving in four-wheelers. Landmines are a big threat to the police teams travelling in jeeps and buses along the Andhra-Orissa border, the Khammam-Chhattisgarh border, north Telangana and Nallamala,” a senior police officer said.

The preference in these areas is for private cars and sometimes two-wheelers. The degree of caution is greater during combing operations, when policemen often walk. If a vehicle must be taken, main roads are avoided.

A senior intelligence officer confirmed the aversion to vehicles. “Though the state government allotted funds (for jeeps) under the police modernisation scheme, policemen (in rebel areas) are just not ready to use vehicles.”

Sunday, October 12, 2008

RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday suspended 13 policemen, including six inspectors, for refusing to accept transfers to the Maoist-domi nated Bastar region interiors.

"We had no option left but to crack the whip on 13 policemen who defied the government transfer order and refused to join duty in Bastar region, despite repeated reminders," R K Vij, inspector-general (administration), said.

The suspended cops also include 7 sub-inspectors. They were transferred in July-August to the interiors of Bastar where Maoists have been running a de facto administration since 1980s

Officials asked why they should not be stripped off their gallantry medals

HYDERABAD: The State government has served show cause notices on three senior IPS officers asking them why they should not be stripped off the gallantry medals conferred on them for their anti-extremist work, nearly nine years ago.

The three officers were selected for gallantry medals for their involvement in Koyyur encounter of Karimnagar district in which three important Maoist leaders were killed in 1999.

The encounter, in which three Central Committee members of the erstwhile CPI (ML) People’s War (PW) were killed, has always been a most contentious issue with the Maoists maintaining that the leaders were picked up in Bangalore and shot dead in Koyyur.

The notices issued last week, sources indicated, said the three officers were not present physically at the time of the alleged gun battle that took place on December 2, 1999 between 6.30 and 7.05 a.m. in Tadicherla police station limits and yet claimed the gallantry medals.

Legendary leaders

The encounter, which saw the killing of three legendary naxalite leaders, Nalla Adi Reddy alias Shyam,

Yerramreddy Santosh Reddy (Mahesh) and Seelam Naresh (Murali), was the beginning of the fall of the revolutionary movement in North Telangana, then a role model for the Maoist movement.

The naxalites had in fact changed their strategies and launched the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) on the first anniversary of Koyyur encounter, ushering in a decisive change in the revolutionary movement.

The issue of notices has literally stirred a hornet’s nest in the State’s police circles at a time when the State police force is grappling to find its moorings in the anti-extremist warfare, especially after the June 29 Balimela ambush in Orissa in which 38 Greyhounds personnel were killed by Maoists.

Squabbles

Insiders say squabbles among the IPS circles seemed to have cast their shadow on the force when Maoists are making determined efforts to stage a return, especially in districts bordering Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

The Maoist strategy, as declared in circular 3/2001 is to ‘encash’ on the internal contradictions among the police to strengthen the revolutionary movement.

KUMUD JENAMANI Jamshedpur, Oct. 12: At night, danger lurks in these five-odd stations. Days are far from safe, with death often a trigger away. And as the authorities continue to juggle with what they call defence strategies, railway employees, passengers and policemen in the Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway remain easy targets for Naxalites.

Friday night’s murderous attack on the assistant stationmaster of Mahadevsaal was a glaring example.

Though this was the second attack on the railway station in the past six years, the brazen show of rebel power has left both railway employees and lathi-wielding policemen in this red bastion shaken. More so when they know that they lack the means and the manpower to counter a fresh attack.

Talking to The Telegraph, superintendent of railway police, Tatanagar, Mrityunjay Kumar squarely blamed the railway board for the situation.

He said after the 2002 Naxalite attack, the GRP had sent a proposal to New Delhi through the divisional railway board, urging it to notify five police stations that fall between Ghatshila and Chakradharpur stations.

“The notification would have ensured more manpower and infrastructure boost for Manoharpur, Rajkharswan, Sini, Ghatshila and Chakulia police stations — all on the Howrah-Mumbai main line. But despite repeated pleas, none of these has been notified so far,” said Kumar.

So, while railway employees spend nervous nights, a handful of lathi-wielding policemen ensure the safety of passengers on the Howrah-Mumbai main line.

Sources said the men in uniform were earlier armed with rifles, but the same was replaced by lathis following a couple of incidents of snatching.

Kumar said Manoharpur, Sini and Rajkharsawan currently function as subsidiary police stations and have skeletal staff strength.

“If notified, there will be at least 20 constables, five havildars, three assistant sub-inspectors and two sub-inspectors. Talking of infrastructure, the buildings can become two-storeyed. The first floor can be turned into a barrack, whereas the ground floor can remain what it is — a police chowki,” he said.

The barracks can house as many as 40 policemen. The more the police presence, the lesser the fear of Naxalite strikes.

“At present, there are only a few dozen men in uniform manning all five police stations in the area. Their strength is nothing compared to that of rebels who swoop on railway stations in gangs having not less than 10-12 armed members. Heavy police presence can act as a deterrent for the rebels and ensure safety of both railway employees and passengers,” said Kumar.

Meanwhile, Y.C. Sawaiya, the assistant stationmaster who sustained serious head injuries after being bludgeoned with iron rods on Friday, has been shifted to Tata Motors Hospital. His condition is said to be stable.

The Naxalite attack at Mahadevsaal has evoked sharp reaction from railway employees working at vulnerable stations such as Manoharpur, Goelkera, Sonua and Rajkharsawan. They have sought foolproof security and have said that they might have to look for “safer jobs” if their demand is not met soon.

Recently there have been some hectic efforts to get the Government of India to pressure the Sri Lanka government to end the “genocide” of Tamils and to enter into negotiation with the LTTE. Dr. Subramanian Swamy: "We Indians have to take stock now and decide what to do to remove the fault line in our policy towards the LTTE, and secure our geographical neighborhood." Is there genocide going on in Sri Lanka? Not if one goes by the United Nations definition of genocide. The 1948 International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide signed by 135 countries including India and Sri Lanka has elaborately defined the term “genocide”. By this definition that is available to any literate person by just going to the Google search engine, we can say there is no genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

There are a large number of Sri Lankan Tamils who say that there is no genocide in their country, well known persons such as V. Anandsagaree of TULF, S.C. Chandrahasan of Ofer, Douglas Devananda presently a Minister and Karuna MP. May be the pro-LTTE parties in India have a new definition of genocide, which is that if the Sri Lanka army kills then it is genocide, but if LTTE kills then that is part of a Freedom Struggle. We in India need not bother about such a laughable contortion of the definition of genocide.

The truth is that the internationally banned terrorist organization, the LTTE, is losing in the battlefield, and it is only matter of time before its headquarters in the jungles of Jaffna is overrun by the Sri Lankan army. This has activated certain political groups in India who depend on the LTTE for monetary support.

Why is the LTTE on the run? In one word, it is because of their hubris. These terrorists killed at will even Tamils who were not only for Eelam, but also were opposing tooth and nail the Sri Lanka majority hegemonism: Gandhian leaders like such as Amrithalingam, Yogeswaran, Neelam Tiruchelvam, and militants such as Sri Sabaratnam. Why ?

Because the LTTE Chief Prabhakaran thought he could get Eelam alone. He of course welcomes cheerleaders like Nedumaran and Veeramani, because they slavishly serve him, but not independent Tamil leaders working for the goal of self-respect and autonomy for Tamils. Rajiv Gandhi sent 100, 000 troops to the island and defacto carved out a North and East Tamil area in Sri Lanka, with a full fledged Tamil Chief Minister who was elected in an election. The IPKF did not allow a single Sri Lankan soldier to enter the region.

But that was not good enough for the terrorist LTTE because Rajiv Gandhi wanted political plurality and leaders to hold office via elections. Since the LTTE believes in a single party Marxist state, so Prabhakaran decided that Rajiv Gandhi should be killed.

Hence, he decided to assassinate Rajiv as soon as he found Indian collaborators who he mistakenly thought could protect him post the dastardly deed. That is called hubris. His collaborators could not protect him however because Rajiv Gandhi had more courageous friends than he had thought, and his collaborators were cowardly to the core. As a consequence, Prabhakaran is a now an internationally wanted criminal, a proclaimed offender for whom the Interpol is in search.

Should India intervene to prevent the inevitable decimation of the LTTE ? That is the question of importance for us. Now is the moment of truth for clarity and transparency.

At present, there is confusion in our approach to Sri Lanka because of a hidden compulsion of the UPA government. The confusion is manifested in the following contradiction: On one hand, the Indian government has banned the LTTE as a terrorist organization because of it’s murderous activities, including the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, yet on the other hand, despite the continuing assassinations by the LTTE of pro-Indian Sri Lankan politicians and it’s open interference within India by financing pro-LTTE politicians and training other terrorist organizations, the Indian government pontificates that the “peace dialogue” of the Sri Lanka government with the LTTE must take place, which talks in the past have ended up legitimizing the terrorist outfit and thus making the ban meaningless.

Hence, we Indians have to take stock now and decide what to do to remove the fault line in our policy towards the LTTE, and secure our geographical neighborhood.

We have to regard the LTTE a part of the problem in the Sri Lanka crisis and not a part of any solution of the crisis because of that outfit’s links with India’s terrorists such as PWG, Naxalites, and ULFA, and with ISI of Pakistan and even Al Qaeda [ which now has established camps in Chittagong, Bangla Desh], as well as with defacto separatist Indian political parties such as DMK, PMK, Dalit Panther and not mention 38 paramilitary connected terrorists outfits roaming the forest areas of Tamil Nadu.

Thus, India has a national security imperative and an unavoidable moral obligation to get involved to free Sri Lanka of the LTTE’s treacherous terror, if for nothing else than to secure our own security environment and punish those seek to overawe our people with terror.

I see five specific reasons why India has this obligation to assist in the elimination of the LTTE:

First, India had trained the LTTE in 1980s and created this Frankenstein monster. Hence, India has to atone for it by actions to disband and unravel the LTTE.

Second, despite enjoying India’s hospitality for years, the LTTE betrayed India by entering into a shocking alliance with the Premadasa’s government and killing more than a thousand Indian army personnel of the IPKF sent to the island to enforce peace and create an autonomous North and East Tamil region. The betrayal and loss of lives of our valiant jawans have to be avenged to keep up the morale of the Indian armed forces.

Third, for assassinating Rajiv Gandhi, India is obligated to search for Prabhakaran and to teach the LTTE a lesson in a language they will understand, and to immobilize them enough to deter them in the future from engaging in any murderous and terrorist activities against India and Indian interests.

Fourth, the LTTE interferes in the internal affairs of India by financing stooge Indian political parties, in providing training to Indian militant and extremist organizations. It also launders black money of Indian politicians through it’s illegal Eelam Bank in the Jaffna area. India cannot allow such erosion of law and order within it’s own borders due to such money laundering.

Fifth, the LTTE is a part of the international terror network and is aided by ISI of Pakistan to smuggle narcotics into India, circulate fake currency notes to buy medicines and diesel, to smuggle out antiques to Italy, and engage in passport fabrication, and hawala operations.

The question thus is: To discharge these obligations what should India do ? The Tamils are squeezed between the devil [LTTE] and the deep sea [Sinhala chauvinists].

Hence first India has to initiate action to assist the Sri Lankan government to take out the LTTE, and the same time tell the Sinhala majority that following the end of the LTTE, India reserves the right to intervene militarily if they do not implement a proper devolution of powers for the Tamils under the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

Second, India must assist and nurture the democratic elements in the Sri Lankan Tamil population, those that have demonstrated capacity to stand up to the LTTE such as S.C. Chandrahasan, Anandsagaree, Douglas Devananda and breakaway LTTE group that had opposed Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, viz., the Karuna group, etc., to form a non-violent and democratic alternative to work out with the Sinhala majority the federal constitution that would serve the purpose of power sharing.

Time is at hand for India to effectively contribute to the war against terrorism and in promotion of democracy by targeting the LTTE sincerely and effectively in the larger national interest of security and national integrity. There is today a window of opportunity due to international consensus against the LTTE, and we must seize it now. Let the pro-LTTE parties sing for their supper. We need to pay no attention them.

Police have given a clean chit to Shiv Sena and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in connection with a media report claiming that the organisations used to fund the Naxalite movement in Maharashtra.

A Mumbai-based tabloid had published a report in August with reference to a narco-analysis test done on suspected Naxalite Arun Fereira. It said that Fereira, in the test, said that Shiv Sena and ABVP funded the movement.

Deputy Inspector General (Law and Order) Rashmi Shukla has asserted that the news report is wrong. In a letter to ABVP state secretary Prakash Belwade, Shukla stated, “We studied Fereira’s narco-analysis test report and found that he did not mention that ABVP funded the movement. The concerned news paper’s report was wrong.”

Though Shukla did not mention Shiv Sena’s name in the letter, a source from the Director General of Police’s (DGP) office said that Sena has also been cleared. “ABVP had sent us a letter requesting to check the authenticity of the news report, so we mentioned only their name in the reply. Had Sena sent a similar letter, we would have replied to them also,” he said. Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe confirmed that the party had not given any memorandum to the police. “Usually, police send letters to the parties who give them memorandum. We did not give any memorandum on this issue,” she said.

Maharashtra, October 11 (Agencies): Lauding the role of Self-Help Groups in empowering women in rural areas of the country, President Pratibha Patil has said several women in Maoist-hit areas of Maharashtra had left Naxalism and joined the mainstream due to the support provided by the SHGs. "A group of women from Naxal-affected district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra visited me last week. They told me that many women had been weaned away from Naxalism due to the effectiveness of Self-Help Groups in providing them support," Patil said at a function organized in Pune for launching of a scheme to provide bank loans at concessional rates to SHGs. Patil gave away cheques to representatives of some SHGs on the occasion.Earlier, the Vilasrao Deshmukh government had announced the scheme which will provide bank loans at a subsidised four per cent rate of interest to SHGs. The rest of the interest burden will be borne by the state government. The government claimed that nearly 30 lakh women will be beneficiaries of the scheme over the next three years. A sum of Rs 600 crore has been earmarked for the purpose. The President, who hails from Maharashtra, said SHGs were close to her heart even when she was a minister in the state in 1975. As minister of welfare, she had launched the Women's Development Corporation under which the SHGs are governed."In 1975, I also tried to push through a scheme for launching Women's Co-operative Banks, which would be run by women and for women, but the Reserve Bank of India did not agree. After a long struggle these banks were started in Maharashtra in the 1980s," she said. Stating that there is a need for providing economic incentives to women -- who constitute 50 percent of the population -- Patil said when she interacted with women on her tours across the country they always expressed the desire to be self-reliant."SHGs would help them achieve this," she said. Patil said the women who had received loan cheques from her had informed her that they would use the money for agriculture-related business like goat-rearing or opening shops for selling agricultural products. "This shows that there is a need to strengthen the link between the agricultural products and the market," she said. She also said the nationalised banks should be roped in to provide loans to SHGs. The scheme launched today will provide concessions in the last few installments to those SHGs which repay their dues on time. "There is a need for keeping a check on the implementation of this scheme and do course correction as and when required," she added.

12 October, 2008 07:22:58 As part of its efforts to go against Maoists in a big way, the Centre has decided to create a separate intelligence wing in each of the 10 battalions of the proposed anti-naxal special force COBRA.

Each battalion (approximately 1,000 personnel) of Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) will have at least three platoons, totalling to nearly 30 personnel, for the specific task of gathering intelligence on the naxals, their movement and operations.

"Intelligence becomes very crucial when it comes to countering militants or naxals. COBRA will have its own intelligence unit which will specifically look into gathering information about naxals, their strategies, local contacts in the villages besides others," a top official of the CRPF said.

The 10,000 personnel strong COBRA force will function under command and control of CRPF.

The intelligence unit of each battalion would be headed by an Assistant Commandant.

As per the deployment plan, two battalions of the force would be raised this financial year, culled from CRPF and would be posted in Chhattisgarh.

"In the next fiscal, four more battalions would be raised followed by another four. In three years, we would raise 10 battalions," CRPF sources said.

The CRPF, which is involved in various anti-militancy and naxal operations, including in Jammu and Kashmir, has already moved a proposal to set up a separate intelligence wing of its own. The proposal is lying with the Union Home Ministry for a long time.

The approval for raising COBRA was given in August after the proposal was stuck in bureaucratic wrangling for months even though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had described the Left-wing extremism as a "virus" sometime back.

According to an earlier intelligence report, submitted to the Home Ministry, Left-wing extremists were spreading their presence to as many as 22 states with the Maoists even approaching banned groups like LTTE and ULFA for arms procurement.

The report had said there were more than 20,000 underground Maoist activists across the country, nearly 50,000 overground members and more than a lakh naxal sympathisers and supporters working in various frontal organisations.

The Prime Minister during his address to the top police brass in October last year had called for a special force to tackle Left-wing extremism.

The new Force that will be set up at a cost of Rs 1,389.47 crore will focus on "effectiveness and operational success" and they would be imparted exclusive training in the terrain and topography of the area of operation.

Umesh Chandra

Umesh Chandra, IPS was bold and daring in dealing with the naxalites. He relentlessly pursued the apprehension of extremists, naxalites and other anti-social elements. He planned and led all counter-terrorist operations himself.